Euronews: Maxim and Veneta Behar on the Odyssey into Space
Euronews Interview
Diana: Hello again, you are watching Good Morning Europe on Euronews Bulgaria. In the next few minutes we will talk about space experiences and earthly emotions. Here with us are Maxim Behar and Veneta Behar, who were on an intensive space training program in Huntsville, Alabama. Hello and welcome.
Maxim: Good morning, and happy holiday to you and to everyone!
Diana: Happy holiday!
Veneta: Happy Baba Marta!
Diana: All morning we have been so busy that we forget to congratulate each other on this beautiful spring holiday. You can already feel that spring is coming.
Maxim: We are very happy to be in our favorite television studio exactly on this holiday.
Diana: And I thank you for being here. Actually, this adventure was a birthday gift for you, right, Mr. Behar? How did you start this space mission?
Maxim: I gave it to myself as a birthday gift because I wanted it to be something interesting and unique that I would remember, and I am very happy that I came up with the idea. Actually, Veneta first suggested that it would be good to collect money and sponsor a young person to attend such training. At one point I said, “It would be much better if we went ourselves, because then we could tell all of Bulgaria that if Maxim and Veneta can do it, anyone can do it.”
It seems very unusual and strange when you sit here in Sofia and think, “Space training in Huntsville, Alabama—how do you even get there? What kind of camp is that?” We sleep several people in one room, men separately, women separately, in very uncomfortable beds, like wooden bunks, in two levels. When you imagine all these things from Sofia, you say, “This is something big.” At the same time, it is something extremely interesting, something that filled us with energy and showed us that we can achieve it and overcome this challenge as well.
Diana: What are we seeing in the footage now?
Maxim: This is called walking on the Moon—moon walking. This is Veneta, and this is actually a simulation of weightlessness.
Diana: It looks easy. Maybe it is not as easy as it looks.
Maxim: For me it was easy. Veni claims it was not.
Veneta: No, it’s not that easy. These springs that hold you from different directions are designed to place you almost in a state of weightlessness, and you have to fight against that in order to walk. That’s why on the ground there are the footprints of Armstrong, who stepped on the Moon and left those prints. You can see how big the steps are—they are not normal human steps, simply because it is very difficult to walk that way. You cannot take normal steps; instead you push yourself forward. That’s why we were having fun here, trying to move forward, backward, and sideways.
Maxim: There were more difficult challenges, but in the end, when we were already at the airport in Huntsville and about to return, we realized that nothing had actually been difficult. On the contrary, it was very interesting and very inspiring. We met fascinating people. In fact, during this week or ten days we went through everything that real astronauts do.
Diana: What do they do that we don’t know?
Maxim: We have watched so many videos, and YouTube is full of all kinds of information. There is nothing that surprised us that much, but you have to go there and actually do it. The first two or three days, with a bit of jet lag as well, were a little tiring.
Diana: Did you eat space food?
Veneta: It’s very minimalistic and concentrated.
Maxim: We actually have space food at home because Bulgaria is a major producer.
Diana: That’s right.
Maxim: But no, we didn’t try it there. We ate very simple American food—bread, butter, jam, scrambled eggs, burgers of course—but food was not something that occupied our minds at all, even though we had breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The breakfasts were the most interesting because we met retired NASA veterans who sat with us at the table while we were eating and told us stories about Apollo, stories about Challenger—stories we would never have been able to read anywhere. Those were very interesting meetings. In addition, the largest space museum in the world is located in that center.
Diana: What does this museum contain?
Maxim: Every free minute Veneta and I spent in the museum.
Diana: Yes, I imagine there are many fascinating exhibits. What impressed you the most?
Veneta: It is an enormous space. Inside there is everything you can imagine related to space, including models of rockets, even real rockets, real engines, and launch systems. The control panels are there as well, and there is a constant streaming connection with space.
Maxim: Screens where you can see live what is happening at the space station.
Diana: Do you know what keeps going through my mind the whole time? Why humanity, world leaders, and all of us are not moving in the direction of developing initiatives like these—where we build and create—instead of fighting wars and hating each other. Do you have an answer to that question, especially when you go to a place like this where you can dream without limits and then return to reality?
Maxim: First, it is very expensive. Second, the United States is a country that invests enormously in this field. It’s true that they postponed the mission to the Moon for two years. First, it’s expensive; second, it requires an enormous concentration of scientific knowledge. And third, since the beginning of the world, people have fought wars. Of course, people should not die, but there are also dictatorial regimes where freedoms and development are severely restricted. I personally do not have the answer whether people themselves can free those societies or whether wars become inevitable. I don’t have the answer, although both of us are quite pacifist.
Veneta: Very pacifist. When you are there, everything seems so achievable that you simply say, “Okay, I’ll do another training and I’ll fly.” That’s really how it feels there.
Diana: Can these trainings actually lead to becoming a space tourist?
Veneta: Yes. This is the training that all astronauts go through. It is the initial stage. After that you apply and can continue depending on your physical preparation and knowledge. The training can last from several months to several years.
Maxim: Everything is one-to-one with the real thing. We were on a space mission in a spacecraft. I conducted chemical experiments on the station. Veneta operated the station. There were three of us in the crew. After that we spent one day on Mars.
Diana: One day on Mars? What is it like on Mars?
Maxim: We did exactly what real astronauts do. We launched the station, followed the trajectory, and arrived at Mars. We were responsible for landing the station on Mars. Then we exited through narrow tunnels where you have to crawl, wearing additional space suits and large helmets. It was very heavy. Then we stayed in the station based on Mars, where we had various exercises. I personally planted lettuce and other plants that we later brought back to Earth. Everything was done exactly like the real process. We had instructions and communication with the command center. One day we were in the command center to see how things work from there and to give commands.
Veneta: Everyone had a role in the command center.
Maxim: Everyone has a role everywhere. One person is responsible for communications, another for launching, another for temperature control inside the station. Everyone has a role. We experienced everything almost exactly like the real thing. When they asked us what the biggest mistake in space is, we didn’t know the answer. They said: “There is no mistake. The moment you make one, you’re out.”
Veneta: But the training is so intensive and repeated so many times that it would take a real failure for a mistake to happen—and you are not alone there.
Diana: After this mission, does it seem possible to truly explore space, considering that our technologies are still limited?
Maxim: We had an entire afternoon dedicated to space law. It was actually a debate. We were divided into groups and discussed who owns space territories. If someone lands on the Moon and says, “This territory is mine,” how is that possible? Our instructors gave the example of European settlers who arrived in America 250 years ago and claimed land. We also spent half a day assembling rockets ourselves—real rockets—which we then launched. Another day was dedicated to aviation, and we flew an F-16 simulator.
Diana: A small mistake in such a fast aircraft…
Veneta: And you can spin several times in the air.
Maxim: Exactly. This whole experience was incredibly interesting, and we didn’t even know what we were going into. When we asked them to send us a program, they said, “We don’t send programs.”
Veneta: It’s impossible to describe such an experience in a program. Each mission started with preparation, where they explained the theory and how to read the instructions. Then you actually performed the mission. It combines theory, practice, and physical exercises. That’s why we really didn’t know what to expect.
Maxim: On the first evening we had a welcome dinner, and one of the vice presidents of the NASA center said: “These will be some of the most interesting days of your life.”
Diana: And was she right?
Maxim: Absolutely. Maybe even the most interesting days. She was completely right. On the first day, before we even received our suits, Veneta and I walked around and saw the Bulgarian flag.
Diana: Where did you see it?
Maxim: At the NASA center.
Veneta: In the museum. There is a whole ceiling with the flags of all countries that have contributed to space exploration.
Maxim: It made me very happy to see the Bulgarian flag. The idea of our experience was that many people in Bulgaria would say, “If they can do this, so can I.” People often identify with those they see in the media. I want to say to everyone, especially young people in Bulgaria: you can do it. The mission we attended takes place once a year with this duration and number of participants. We were 15 people—13 Americans and two foreigners, who were Bulgarians. But there are also three-day and one-day programs. There is even a school in Izmir licensed by our base in Huntsville. We want to see a Bulgarian astronaut as soon as possible.
Veneta: It is very achievable.
Diana: Thank you very much for giving us the chance to look beyond and to dream a little. Thank you, Maxim and Veneta Behar.
Maxim: Thank you as well. With this suit, we are waiting for you at the base very soon.
Diana: Thank you, and thank you to our viewers for being with us this morning. If all is well, we will see you again next Saturday at 7:00. Have a wonderful Sunday and a great week ahead. Goodbye.
The whole interview watch here: https://www.maximbehar.com/bg/video/430/euronews-maksim-i-veneta-behar-za-odiseyata-v-kosmosa